Days To Maturity
The average number of days from when the plant is actively growing in the garden to the expected time of harvest.

110 days

Fruit Weight
The average weight of the fruit produced by this product.

18-24 pounds

Sun
The amount of sunlight this product needs daily in order to perform well in the garden. Full sun means 6 hours of direct sun per day; partial sun means 2-4 hours of direct sun per day; shade means little or no direct sun.

Full Sun

Spread
The width of the plant at maturity.

72 inches

Height
The typical height of this product at maturity.

12-18 inches

Sow Method
This refers to whether the seed should be sown early indoors and the seedlings transplanted outside later, or if the seed should be sown directly in the garden at the recommended planting time.

Sow 4-6 seeds in groups about 3 inches apart. Each group should be about 4-6 feet apart. Cover with 1 inch of fine soil and firm lightly.

Keep evenly moist.

Seedlings emerge in 7-14 days.

Do not plant pumpkins and other squash family crops in the same spot 2 years in a row.

How to Grow

Thin seedlings to 2-3 per group when they are 1-2 inches high

Keep weeds under control during the growing season. Weeds compete with plants for water, space and nutrients, so control them by either cultivating often or use a mulch to prevent their seeds from germinating.

Keep plants well-watered during the growing season, especially during dry spells. Plants need about 1-2 inches of rain per week during the growing season. Use a rain gauge to check to see if you need to add water. It's best to water with a drip or trickle system that delivers water at low pressure at the soil level. If you water with overhead sprinklers, water early in the day so the foliage has time to dry off before evening, to minimize disease problems. Keep the soil moist but not saturated.

Pumpkins have both male and female flowers on the same plant. Male flowers will open first and the female flowers will open later. The female flower has a miniature fruit behind the blossom.

Do not move or step on vines as they are quite fragile.

Monitor for pests and diseases. Check with your local Cooperative Extension Service for pest controls recommended for your area.

If you are trying to grow extra-large pumpkins, allow only one fruit per plant to mature.

Beds of vigorous, sprawling pumpkin vines can be bordered by corn, towering pole beans, sunflowers and other trellised or vine vegetables.

Harvest & Preserving

Pumpkins are ready to harvest when the rinds are hard and a rich shade of orange or white depending on the variety.

If a light frost kills the vines, the pumpkins are ready to harvest. Pumpkins are damaged by heavy frost.

Cut pumpkins from the vine with a pruning shears, leaving about 3 inches of stem attached.

Allow the pumpkins to cure in the sun for a week to harden skin.

Store pumpkins in a cool dry place.

Roast the seeds for a tasty snack.

Product Details

Days To Maturity

110 days

Fruit Weight

18-24 pounds

Sun

Full Sun

Spread

72 inches

Height

12-18 inches

Sow Method

Direct Sow

Planting Time

Spring

Sow Time

After Last Frost

Thin

6 feet

Life Cycle

Annual

Reviews

Pumpkin, Jack O' Lantern is rated
3.5 out of
5 by
15.

Rated 1 out of
5 by
Rolltider from
PumpkinsNot a single seed came up, other seeds I bought other places grew fine

Date published: 2017-10-15

Rated 5 out of
5 by
greencpa from
Enough to shareI have a small place for pumpkins on a city lot. I used had three hills the first year and a small hill the second year from left over seeds. I have an abundance of pumpkins to share with the neighborhood. The small hill kept the weeds down in an empty area after we had cut down a large tree. It's been fun looking for the next pumpkin and the bright yellow flowers brighten my morning as I leave for work.

Date published: 2016-09-25

Rated 5 out of
5 by
Dave N from
Abundant crop of Jack O' Lantern PumpkinsDespite an early, very dry and hot growing season we had an abundant crop of Jack O' Lanterns. We had to supply water from the hose daily throughout most of June/July. The heat caused some to mature early and resulted in smaller fruits, but despite our weather issues, we were very pleased with the outcome.

Date published: 2016-09-13

Rated 5 out of
5 by
NMGirl from
An abundant and long producerPlanted these seeds in May and then left on vacation, relying on my drip system to keep the garden watered. I returned to a glorious pumpkin patch and have to date completed 4 harvests with many, many pumpkins of assorted sizes, and beautiful proportions. I only wish I had entered them in the County Fair, they were sure to be winners. Great in soups, pies etc or Fall decor.

Date published: 2015-10-13

Rated 1 out of
5 by
jdoug from
NOT suited for the Southeast...Wish I would have taken the review from Clayton, NC to heart. Started these in little burlap seed starters and they sprouted quickly. Once I transferred them to the ground they stayed healthy but stunted for at least a month. So far as I've learned with any seed, best to just directly sew it in the ground when warm enough. Anyway, these started growing like wildfire and I was super excited. As other reviews have said they were full of blooms, but would never pollinate or would just fall off the vine. Finally got ONE pumpkin and that's when the powdery mildew kicked in. The pumpkin grew to about half size before the powdery mildew killed the plant and some sort of infestation turned the pumpkin in to a bumpy moldy mess. I think it is just too moist in the southeast for this type of pumpkin (or maybe any pumpkin I'm beginning to wonder...)

Date published: 2015-03-13

Rated 5 out of
5 by
memc33 from
Awesome Pumpkin!These are the first pumpkins I have ever tried. Started indoors early and planted out in late May. We got a really late frost in June, and these pumpkins were one of the few things that made it. Easy to care for, produced beautiful, big, bright flowers and pumpkins that are ready just in time. Will be growing these every year, can't help but smile when I see them!

Date published: 2014-09-18

Rated 5 out of
5 by
irelamanda from
AwesomeI planted these seeds all throughout the summer, and they did great. I have already picked 2 medium sized pumpkins, and left a few on the vine, just so that they can get a little bigger ! I planted seeds in may and picked pumpkins in mid July.

Date published: 2012-08-13

Rated 4 out of
5 by
JayhawkGardener from
Definitely good for cookingThis pumpkin plant produced pumpkins that were ideal for cooking. I did not get many that were large enough for ideal jack o' lanterns. However, our summer was extremely hot and that shrunk a lot of fruit size from all plants. I think in a more mild year this would have been an outstanding producer. Seeds are quite tasty.